One of the world’s leading bassoonists, Nadina Mackie Jackson explores the boundaries of performance, venturing into new works, improvisation and electroacoustic music along with dynamic performances of standard works. From orchestral to chamber music, unaccompanied baroque to newly commissioned concerti, her performances and collaborations often reach far beyond traditional concert settings for bassoon. Recording worldwide on both modern and historical bassoons, her performances are remembered for their “effortless musicality and integrity, making the bassoon sound like a human voice” (NATIONAL POST). Recently, Ms. Jackson released a solo album of 8 Vivaldi concerti to great acclaim. Most recently, she released her Juno-nominated Canadian Concerto Project CD featuring new commissions by Glenn Buhr, Michael Occhipinti and Mathieu Lussier.
Collaborating steadily with emerging and established composers, she has recently premiered numerous concerti written for her including the Oddbird Concerto by Mathieu Lussier with group of twenty-seven in Toronto, Paul Frehner’s Apollo X with Orchestra London, Constantine Carravassilis’ Silver Angel with Thirteen Strings in Ottawa and Lucas Oickle’s ‘squeezed from wood’ with the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.
Recent performance highlights for Nadina included US concerts with Guy Few, tours Canadian folk legend, Valdy and pianist Karel Roessingh, and summer concerts at Hugh’s Room in Toronto, the Kingsville Folk Festival and Summerfolk with Valdy and Karel, and a university tour to Mississippi and Tennessee. Nadina had a 6 week Canadian tour in spring 2014 with Guy Few that included recitals and solo concerti across western Canada. Nadina has performed as soloist with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Prince George Symphony, Okanagan Symphony, Toronto Chamber Orchestra, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra (Ithaca, N.Y.), the Grand River Festival Soloists l’Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières and Les Idées Heureuses.
Upon graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music, Nadina immediately went on to become a member of l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal where she remained for a decade. She subsequently became principal bassoon of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra for two years and is currently the principal bassoonist of group of twenty-seven chamber orchestra in Toronto.
Ms. Mackie Jackson is the artistic director of Bassoon Out Loud concert tours, founder of the Council of Canadian Bassoonists and teaches at the University of Toronto and The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School.
“Virtuosic playing to the end drew the crowd to its feet and a chance to meet their Bassoon Heroine at intermission…” Classic Concerts NS [September 2016] http://www.classicconcertsns.ca/2016/09/01/review-nova-scotia-youth-orchestra-at-st-matthews/#more-1235
“ true phenomenon…absolute virtuosity, Mackie Jackson imparted the depth, reach and importance of her beloved instrument” blog review Margot Aldrich, Halifax, [October 30, 2015]
“…Mackie Jack¬son tossed off rapid-fire runs dur¬ing the short work’s first move¬ment before dis-play¬ing her gor¬geous singing tone and lightly executed orna¬ment¬a¬tion in the second …” Holly Harris, Winnipeg Free Press, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Westminster United Church [March 12, 2014]
“Jackson’s brilliant artistry shines out like a jewel… sound is bold and full…gleeful abandon… deeply expressive…”
Phil Muse, Audio Society of Atlanta [March 2014]
http://nadina.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/NMJ_MSRMusic_ATLANTA-MARCH2014.pdf
“Tremendous colour and a riot of textures…the playing of the ensemble at this point was so extraordinary…perfectly sweet and mellow… danced, sparkling, over the edge of its time, and dissolved into an energized audience”? Stanley Fefferman, OpusOneReview [July 2013]?
“With its top-notch soloist [Nadina Mackie Jackson] paired with some of the best baroque string and continuo players in North America this is easily one of the finest recordings of Vivaldi on modern instruments out there...? Ryan Romine, IDRS Journal, Issue 36:1, [July 2013]
“you should buy this disc…breathtaking virtuosity and an irresistible verve and sparkle by Nadina Mackie Jackson and her seven cohorts… Fasten your seatbelts.”? George Chien, Issue 36:6, Fanfare [July/Aug 2013]
“When Canadian bassoonist Nadina Mackie Jackson begins to play, the logic is revealed: she and McGegan turn these concertos into pure virtuoso vehicles”?James Manheim, AllMusic [July, 2013]?..........................
“superbly managed... the handsome Solo (2008), arrestingly played by bassoonist Jackson”?The Globe and Mail – September 21, 2010?
“Jackson’s chops are fantastic...saucy and supremely confident...liquidity and precision of articulation. Jackson removes all doubts as to the bassoon being a born solo instrument”?Northwest Reverb, Lorin Wilkerson – April 2009